Planting-machine



M. TWORSKII PLANTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED IIAY 4, I920.

Patented Nov. 15, 1921;

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

Jwuenl'w M Tmruli' M. TWORSKI.

PLANTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 4, I320.

Patented Nov. 15, 1921 2 SENS-SHEET 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MARTIN TWORSKI, OF VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA. ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO MICHAEL SZYMANSKI, OF WINNIPEG MANITOBA. CANADA.

PLANTING-MACHINE Specification of Letters Patent.

Patcnlcd 3 ov. 15,1921.

Application filed May 4. 1920. Serial No. 378.734.

To all who/n it may concern:

Be it known that I, MARTIN TWORSKI. a citizen of Poland, residing at Vancouver, in the Province of British Columbia and Dominion of Canada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Planting- Machines, of which the following is a specification.

The primary object of the invention is the provision of a planter for potatoes and the like adapted for easily and quickly planting a large area during the travel of the machineoverthe field, the operations being readily controlled by a single attendant, any suitable motive power such as draft animals or a tractor being employed to impart forward movement to the device.

A further object of the invention is to provide a planter possessing great strength and serviceability for planting potatoes uniformly distributed and covered in a field. the operation of the mechanism being easily and quickly controlled adjacent the rear thereof.

lVith these eneral objects in view and others that will appear as the nature of tho invention is better understood. the same consists in the novel construction. combination and arrangement of parts hereinaftcr more fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings forming a part of this application. and in which like reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views,

Figure 1. is a vertical central Sectional view through the device.

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of my hopper construction. showing the same divided into a plurality of com partments.

Fig. 2 is a rear elevation of the same with parts broken away. and

a Fig. 3 shows different forms of the potato tecdiug members in transverse section. llcfcrring more in detail to the drawings. ]l|\' invention broadly includes a rectangular bod or box l c'arricd by an axle l] with ground wlu-ols ll iournalcd thereon. a po lair) rccciviug hopper 13 being mountcd transvcrsclv of the ma hine upon said box H \rhilc l'orwardlv projecting side rails it provide rcadv means for the attachment of a draft dcrice. not shown. 'lhc potato dropping Inccbanism includcs a plurality of vertical tubes 15 rcarwardlv of the box i attached to the hopper 13 hi straps 16 and having their inner sides cut awav as at 17, adjacent outlet openings 18 in the rear wall of the hopper 13. The bottom 15) of the hopper 13 is provided with openings 20. ad-

jacent the openings 18. the latter being con trollcd by slides 21. The hopper l3 is dividcd into separate compartments bv an inverted V sh apcd partition 22 here. illustrated as twozin number. corresponding to the number ot',planting tubes 15. oue'ot' said openings 21) being provided for each tube in the bottom of thc adjacent compartment 22.

.\n endless belt B l beneath each hopper opening 21 ismounted upon drums it and 2.3. the fornnl' being carried by a shaft 26 opcratirely connected by a-sprocket chain 27. to a drive shaft while the drums are mounted upon an idler shaft 2!), The shafts :26 and 25 extend longitudiuallv.within the box to with tbc belts lIl longitudinallv of the machine forming rearwardlv shitting bottom portions for thc hopper compartnicnts afforded b the partition 22 where y potatoes positioned in the hopper 13 .are in rcd rcarwardl through the openings it upon extensions it) of the hopper bottom it). feed roll 31 is journalcd between each extension 30 and cut a way portion or mouth 17 of the tubes [5. being; provided with pockets 3'2 for receiving the desired number of otatocs or parts thereof for dropping into the tubes 15 during the planting operation. The feed rolls 31 arc secured 'to a shaft ill-l opcrulivclv connectcd by a chain 3-1 with thc shu ft 2(3 and the shaft '29 being con licctcd b meshing gcar t") and lo with one of the revolving ground whccls l'2 it will be understood that llH' lull i233 and feed rolls ill will luopcralcd sinulltanconslv with thc forward travcl ol' the machine over thc llcld to be planted.

suitable clutch 5? upon ihc drive haft 29 controls connection with tho sprocket chain a photcd shift lcvcr 3% being pro vidcd with the clut h inning an angular handlc 3! projccting upuardlv and rear- \\:|ri|| of the nnn'hinc. 'lhc upright por tion ll f lllt handhli' is pivoted in a plate It -ccurcd lo a rcccpta h- 4-2 mountcd upon the idc rail ll uhilc an :idhhfing' rciuining rod lit i uduptcd for cngoging tin platill and rontrollcd b v a lcrcr H upon thc handhfor retainin thc clutch iii into Ill) and out of clutching engagement with the sprocket chain 27. A furrowing digger comprising a forwardly projecting blade l6 mounted upon a sleeve 47 vertically slid-able upon the feed tube 15 adjacent the bottom thereof is adapted for plowing a furrow through the previously mellowed ground for receiving potatoes through the tube 15 during the forward travel of the machine.

Flexible links 48 connect the blade 46 of each digger with the bottom of the box 10 while chains 49 connect the sleeves +7 to gether for the attachment of an adjacent le ver 50. The lever 50 is pivoted to a frame 51 and provided with a retaining pin. 52 adapted for entering a keeper 53 upon the. frame 51 when the lever 50 rearwardly shifted with the diggers 15 in their elevated inoperative positions. A rocker arm 5-4 controls the pin,52 and the operation of t digger mechanism will be apparent, it

eing only necessary to release the pin 52 from the keeper 53 by means of the arm 54, to permit the diggers 45 to lower by reason of their own weight to their operative positions 1 for furrowing the ground.

- A U-shaped frame 55 carried by the bottom of the box 10 and rearwardly projecting therefrom serves as a mounting for the frame 51, the tubes 15 being within said frame.

Plows 56 are provided Substantially rearwardly of each Wheel 20 with a similar plow centrally therebetween for covering the furrows after dropping the potatoes therein, a transverse bar 58 rearwardly of the frame 55 providing a mounting for the. said plows. A transverse shaft 59 carried by the frame 55 has brackets 60 secured to the bar 58 and pivoted thereon while braces 61 extend from upright plow beams 62 to journaling points adjacent the ends of the rod 59.

The beams 62 are adjustably positioned in collars 63 upon the bar 58 having set screws 64 for maintaining the beams 62 suitably adjusted. A rack 65 upon the frame 55 has a plurality of perforations 66 for engagement by a springpressed pin (5T carriedby a lever 68 connected by band 6b with the bar 58 and pivoted to the rack 65 at its inner end 70. Rearwardly projecting handles 71 upon the bracket Gil are adapted to be grasped by the attendant. it .being intended that by pulling upwardly on the handle 71. the bar 58 and plows 56 and 57 will be raised while the pin 67 will ratchet over the rack 6?. auto matically engaging one of the perforations 66, when the plows are at the desired elevation. For lowering the plows 56 and 57. it is only necessary to retract the pin -37. permit ting the bar 58 to lower toward the ground.

The two hopper compartments with their potato-dropping mechanism are adapted for simultaneous operation when the clutch 37 is closed, the openings 18 being simultaneously controlled by the slides 21 actuated by a connecting rod 72 having a substantially central handle 73.

The hopper 13 is hinged as at T4, to the forward side of the box it) while a swii'iging hook T5 at the rear of the hopper engages beneath the rear side of the box it), for retaining the hopper 13 in position thereon. suitable securing means 76 being provided through said hook.

The feed roll 31 is illustrated with two pockets 3! although this number may be varied for changing the number or quantity of seed to be carried into the adjacent tube 15. rolls 3! and 3]" being shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings. upon an enlarged scale and in section provided with one pocket 32' and three pockets 32" respectively. Furrow diggers 45 may be weighted if desired by atta hing weight members. not shown, to books 79 carried by the sleeves 47.

The complete operation of the invention will be understood from this detailed descriptiou thereof, the clutch 37 being closed by the lever 35) and the diggers 45, lowered for forming parallel furrows in the ground in advance of the open tubes 15 during the forward travel of the machine over the field. Potatoes from the receptacle 4?. are shoveled into the compartments 22 of the hopper l3 and the movement of the belts 23 carries the potatoes through the openings 21. over the extensions 30 and into the pockets 32 of the feed rolls 31 which latter revolve in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. '1 of the drawings. These teed rolls 31 deposit the potatoes through the mouths 17 into the. upright tubes 15 through which the potatoes fall into the newly made furrowr' The oncoming plows 66 and 67 cover up the potatoes in the furrows, the furrows made by the diggers 45 being positioned between the plows. Large areas may be planted with potatoes in this manner by driving the machine back and forth across the field and it will be evident that other seed than seed potatoes may be planted by the device if desired.

lVhile the form of the invention herein shown and described is what is believed to be the preferred embodiment thereof. it is nevertheless to be understood that various forms, modifications and arrangements of the parts may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

What I laim as new and desire to secure li v liettcrs Patent, is:

I. An agricultural implement comprising a frame. a multiple compartment hopper hinged to the top of the fram and having openings in the bottom and rear wall there ol. a receptacle disposed beneath said hopper. an endless belt associated with each en ess belt associated with each hopper opening and located in the receptacle and adapted for horizontal travel be neath the hopper openings, a portion of the bottom wall of the ho per overlyin the endless b'elt whereby t e contents 0% the compartments are adapted for rearward travel upon said belts outwardly of the oompartmentseand dropping means ada ted for rearwardly feedin the contents 0 the compartments receive from said belt.

2. An agricultural implement com rising a. frame, a multiple compartment opper hinged to the top of the frame having open-v ings in the bottom and rear wall thereof, a reoe tacle disposed beneath said hop er, an opper opening and located in the receptacle and adapted for horizontal travel beneath the hop er openings, 9. portion of the bottom wal of the hopper overlying the endless belt whereby the contents of the compartments 'are adapted for rearward travel upon said belts outwardly of the compartments, upright tubes carried by the hopper having mouths rearwa rdly of said belts and feed rolls between the belts and the mouths of the tubes adapted to revolve simultaneously with the operation of the belts whereby the contents of the hopper is transferred in predetermined quantities from the belt into said tubes.

In testimony whereof 'I ture.

aflix my signa- MARTIN TWORSKI. 

